Best long range round. 6.5 creed, .260, 6.5x284, or 6mm br?

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Re: Best long range round. 6.5 creed, .260, 6.5x284, or 6mm br?

The 6.5x284 has a barrel burner reputation for 3 main reasons.

1: Many shooters push them to the absolute limits.

2: Many shooters use these maxed out loads in match rifles. 20-30 top end loads in 20-30 minutes is very hard on a 6.5x284 barrel.

3: 6.5x284 have carbon fouling/carbon ring issues in short order. If not deat with swiftly and effectively, will destroy the accuracy potential of the barrel. Even after it is figured out and rectified.

Lower the pressures, limit the shot strings and keep a handle on the carbon near the breach and it will treat you right.

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Long range shooting is a process that ends with a result. Once you start to focus on the result (how bad your last shot was, how big the group is going to be, what your buck will score, what your match score is, what place you are in...) then you loose the capacity to focus on the process.

For pure ballistic performance at long range the 6.5x284 will best the other calibers you mention, and you will feel little difference in recoil. There is a reason this caliber holds many of the records. The price paid will be barrel life that is about half or less. I have seen the Savage Target series rifles win matches at our club competing against full customs on several occasions. My buddy has the Target Model in 308 and is consistenly in the top rankings. A nice thing about the Savage design is that you can easily replace a barrel on their own with a minor investment in tools and gauges. If a shooter is shooting high volume, this makes the barrel planning process a whole lot easier, and cost effective if your not a well trained gunsmith. I own a few Savages. Because my competitive shooting is typically at the mid ranges, 600 yards or less, I use a 260 LRP. This rifle is exceptionally accurate and required no modification to achieve consistent .25MOA or better. I also have a Savage Long Range Hunter in 6.5x284 that I use for hunting out to +1000 yards that shoots as well. For this use, at 60 years old, I will probably never change the barrel. If big game hunting is on your plate with this purchase, the 6.5x284 will have the edge over the other choices at +700 yards.

I looked up Savage 16 weather warrior and it looks like a regular weight barrel. It would be ok for a few shots and let cool. Weight is light so a good brake would be needed. As far as 300 WSM goes it is a good caliber. Easy to tune. The 6.5-284 has all but disappeared on the thousand yard benchrest game. Most are shooting 6 Dashers or 300 WSM. Both very efficient cases. Easy to tune and very accurate. The Dasher would be good on deer to about 6 to maybe 7 hundred yards. The WSM would be good to about 1000 yards. Both of these rounds hold almost every record in the country at 1000 yard benchrest. The WSM would need to have a 10 or 11 twist for the 210 Berger Vld or hybrid. The 190 would give a little less recoil and should still be ok. The 6mm would need a 8 twist and 105 to 108 bullets for long range. I have had a few Benchrest guns in 6.5-284 and they are hard to tune and keep tuned for benchrest competition. If you get one to work they work good. I just think the other two are easier to get and keep shooting. Matt

The 6.5x47 will run 140g bullets to 2900 fps with 40 to 41g of powder.
Thats 10gs less powder than the 6.5x284.
Hard to beat a 6.5x47 Lapua.

dave

My cousin is building a 6.5x47 right now. The biggest problem he is having is finding brass. He's been on back order for about 2 months now.

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Matthew 7:13-14
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. [14] But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.